Blindness (gradual onset bilateral loss)

The most common cause of gradual onset bilateral blindness in the developed world is macular degeneration which is more common in non-insulin dependent diabetics.

Diabetic retinopathy is the second most common cause, and the leading cause of new blindness in adults aged between 25 and 64.

Other causes include:

• diabetic maculopathy
• hypertensive retinopathy
• cataracts (the commonest cause of any type of blindness overall globally)
• chronic glaucoma
• chiasmal or bilateral optic nerve compression
• bilateral optic nerve damage, e.g. tobacco amblyopia

Worldwide, chlamydial infection causing trachoma is a common cause.

Reference

1. Wolfram C et al. The Prevalence of Visual Impairment in the Adult Population. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019 Apr 26;116(17):289-295.